PhD Position in BiologyDepartmentKonstantinos Tripsianes Research Group – Central European Institute of TechnologyDeadline 31 Oct 2024 Start date 01.11.2024, or earlier upon agreement Job type full-time Job field Science and research Come to CEITEC MU in Brno and join us! We are passionate molecular biologists at CEITEC looking for TWO PHD POSITIONS IN STRUCTURAL BIOLOGY OF WNT SIGNALING About this position: Applications are invited for the position in the research group of Konstantinos Tripsianes, Ph.D. Dishevelled (DVL) is the central hub of Wnt signal transduction that integrates and transduces upstream signals through distinct cytoplasmic cascades. Looking at the many DVL faces reported in literature, three salient features underlying its function in signaling can be highlighted: (1) it interacts with more than seventy binding partners, (2) it is heavily phosphorylated at multiple sites by at least eight different kinases, in particular by Ck1ε/δ after Wnt stimulation, and (3) it consistently forms puncta in the cytosol, that are phase-separated self-assemblies also called liquid droplets. Our working hypothesis is that DVL conformational plasticity mediated by the order-disorder interactions allows the combinatorial integration of phosphorylation input, partners binding, self-assembly in droplets, and allosteric coupling, to exquisitely control signal routing. We integrate structural biology (NMR, SAXS, X-ray, MS-HDX) and biophysical techniques (FRET, ITC, BLI) with cellular readouts (TopFlash, BRET) to understand DVL structure, function, and regulation. Candidates can choose among three open questions, that if resolved, will have significant impact on Wnt research. 1) Does disorder provide new contexts to structured domain(s) and, hence, enhance the DVL functional space associated with them? 2) Is there a direction, order or hierarchy in the phosphorylation of individual S/T sites and clusters in DVL? 3) What are the physical behaviors associated with intrinsic disorder and their connection to DVL liquid-liquid phase separation?
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How to apply? Application deadline: 31.10.2024 or until the postion is filled Start date: 01.11.2024, or earlier upon agreement Applications, including CV, short statement of research background/interests, and the contact information of at least two references should be sent via e-application. Any troubles with the e-application, please contact Petra Linhartova (petra.linartova@ceitec.muni.cz)
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